I don't know if this has been up for discussion before on this forum, but I've been doing research on the death penalty recently. So here's my question: Is it really necessary? Maybe right or wrong is the incorrect way to say it, different people have different morals and values. But is the death penalty really doing what it's intended to do, stop murderous rampages and similar crimes. I don't think so, and I feel it's no longer necessary in 2005.
I'm not against the death penalty...but if someone commited a crime against my family, I think I'd rather see them rot in jail. I think it should be up to the victim's family.
no, we've never talked about it before. i'm against the death penalty. courts are imperfect. we're imperfect. if we could be 100% certain about guilt/innocence, maybe i'd think differently.
Another point is that sometimes people get put to death and years later they find out that person never committed the crime. If they are in prison, they can at least be let out. This is due to the relatively new DNA testing procedures.
as we should be learning in crim law, not all punishments are made to be deterrants, sometimes they are there for retribution. im kind of moderate about the DP, obviously, some people want others to die for their crimes, others do not. I think for some cases it should be a more personal issue, and that after sentencing and all legal procedures, the injured party has the sole right to forgive and reverse the punishment of death if they so desire. But even before that, there are some issues needed to be sorted out to make sure that the wrong people are not being convicted and second that certain people are not being singled out for the death penalty.
That's one use capital punishment can be put to, and it's debatable whether it serves that function well, but there are a number of justifications for it (and other forms of punishment as well) that bear listing: deterrence (setting an example so others don't commit similar crimes), incapacitation (to be sure that the offender cannot offend again), justice (because the crimes merit punishing for their own sake), revenge (so that victims can stick it to 'em), reform (though it doesn't apply to capital punishment, other forms may make the offender a better citizen in the end), and restitution (again not applicable to capital punishment, but other forms could help recompense for losses of the victim). People tend to think of punishment in one or two veins and object when goals in those areas are not being sought. It seems common to assume punishment is simply for reforming the criminal, or detering future crimes. In the case of capital punishment, the deterrent effect is hard to measure. With deterrence, the likelihood of getting caught has a greater impact than the severity of the punishment, so executions may not be necessary. Incapacitation is an effective argument since you know for certain that the offender will commit no new crimes. But, you can get most of that effect with a life sentence (though a person can still commit crimes in prison). Reform and restitution are nonfactors with capital punishment. Revenge I find morally repugnant as a motivation for punishment by the state. Leaving me with Justice as the single best argument for executing prisoners. It's an incorporeal thing that is hard to use in an argument because it can't be measured. But, when you read the nature of the crimes some men commit, you can feel it. Is that an argument for the death penalty? Not exactly; I'll go whichever way the public would like to go. But, it means I am unswayed by arguments that the death penalty isn't effective. If you believe you can attain some level of Justice, can anything else do?
I'm against imposing the death penalty.. but I am for assisted suicide for capital felons. Life in prison seems sort of like cruel waste to me. Lock'em up with a big ol bag of heroin. It'll keep the prison violence down and reduce the lifetime costs of confinement. Maybe we can even link it up with a subsidy program for poor farmers in Afghanistan.
The death penalty never lowered the number of murders. It's no deterrent, people will continue committing murders regardless.
I don't feel that it's worse to rot in jail than get death penalty.. I'd think most people on death row would gladly change it for a life sentence.. sitting in jail for 10 years knowing you are going to die everyday would be as worse as it could get I'd think.. especially when you start getting close to time to die
If they're in jail for life, they're not going to murder any civilians either. The worst they could do is commit more crimes in jail. The death penalty is playing God, nobody has that right.
His Holiness, Tenzin Gyatso, The Fourteenth Dalai Lama: Message Supporting the Moratorium on the Death Penalty In general, death is something none of us wants, in fact it is something we don't even like to think about. When death takes place naturally, it is a process beyond our control to stop, but where death is wilfully and deliberately brought about, it is very unfortunate. Of course, within our legal systems there are said to be certain reasons and purposes for employing the death penalty. It is used to punish offenders, to prevent them ever repeating their misdeed and to deter others. However, if we examine the situation more carefully, we will find that these are not real solutions. Harmful actions and their tragic consequences all have their origin in disturbing emotions and negative thoughts, and these are a state of mind, whose potential we find within all human beings. From this point of view, every one of us has the potential to commit crimes, because we are all subject to negative disturbing emotions and negative mental qualities. And we will not overcome these by executing other people. What is deemed criminal can vary greatly from country to country. In some countries, for example, speaking out for human rights is considered criminal, whereas in other countries preventing free speech is a crime. The punishments for crimes are also very different, but usually include various forms of imprisonment or hardship, financial penalties and, in a number of countries, physical pain. In some countries, crimes that the government considers very serious are punished by executing the person who committed the crime. The death penalty fulfills a preventive function, but it is also very clearly a form of revenge. It is an especially severe form of punishment because it is so final. The human life is ended and the executed person is deprived of the opportunity to change, to restore the harm done or compensate for it. Before advocating execution we should consider whether criminals are intrinsically negative and harmful people or whether they will remain perpetually in the same state of mind in which the committed their crime or not. The answer, i believe, is definitely not. However horrible the act they have committed, I believe that everyone has the potential to improve and correct themselves. Therefore, i am optimistic that it remains possible to deter criminal activity, and prevent such harmful consequences of such acts in society, without having to resort to the death penalty. My overriding belief is that is is always possible for criminals to improve and that by its very finality the death penalty contradicts this. therefore, I support those organizations and individuals who are trying to bring an end to the use of the death penalty. Today, in many societies very little importance is placed on education or the development of human values through social programs and entertainment. In fact, if we take television programming as an example, violence, including killing, is regarded as having a high entertainment value. This is indicative of how misguided we have become. I believe human beings are not violent by nature. Unlike lions and tigers, we are not naturally equipped to kill with sharp teeth and claws. From a Buddhist viewpoint, I believe that the basic nature of every sentient being is pure, that the deeper nature of mind is something pure. Human beings become violent because of negative thoughts which arise as a result of their environment and circumstance. I wholeheartedly support an appeal to those countries who at present employ the death penalty to observe an unconditional moratorium. At the same time we should give more support to education and encourage a greater sense of universal responsibility. We need to explain the importance of the practice of love and compassion for our own survival and to try to minimize those conditions which foster murderous tendencies, such as the proliferation of weapons in our societies. These are things even private individual can work towards. This statement was read by Kobutsu Malone, Zenji at the "Creating a Legacy" event on Friday night, April 9, 1999 at Laurie Auditorium
A barbaric, irreversable act that's imposed by fallible men and women who sometimes make mistakes, and who have their own inherent prejudices. People playing God with the lives of others, without any benefit to the community in the way of saving resources or deterring future crimes.
